Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Hero Comes Home

-->The hero returns tomorrow and I want to be among the first
to say welcome back.

I am told that the meeting in New York initially had 600
registered participants – the very best brains from around the world. On the
day of the conference however, the number had spiraled way over the thousandth
mark. That is the measure of his popularity and the importance attached to the brand
new philosophy he was scheduled to speak on.

While our own media at home had nothing good to say about Bhutan
and the Prime Minister hosting the GNH conference in New York, inventors,
intellectuals, social scientists, captains of industry, religious leaders,
listened with rapt attention to our man talk on an unconventional philosophy
that may yet save the human kind from utter chaos.

I was disheartened by the total lack of support from our
media - to what our Prime Minister was doing in New York. It is understandable
that not every body has a grasp of what GNH is all about but I wish that people
would stop talking about something they are clueless about.

I was so terribly pained at the bad press at home. However
this afternoon I got to hear of something very uplifting. I am told that some
one very, very special, the one person whose opinion he would value, actually
called Lyonchen up in New York to congratulate him for his success and
achievement. Now I am at peace – this effectively means that Lyonchen can tell
every body else to go to hell – and take along their views with them!

11 comments:

I'm glad you bring up the issue of the domestic media's pretty much outright dismissal of this as praiseworthy, or even newsworthy. It is a shame that the media is so blinkered as to not realize the greatness and vision.. and that this has brought Bhutan to a leadership position... this is flattering & well-deserved.

However it has also increased the scrutiny on our own development and internal affairs. I hope, and I'm sure that Bhutanese can rise to the challenge and surpass this raised expectations and standards set by this weeks affairs.

Congratulations and Best Wishes... and Thank You.. to our Lyonchen. For ably bringing the philosophy of our revered King to the world stage. I watched pretty much the entire proceedings at the UN, and in that gaggle of statesmen & academics & intellectuals & world leaders, our Lyonchen easily outshone them all. A proud week for all Bhutanese.

I wasn't so lucky --- I was no where near a TV set to watch the proceedings.

Few in Bhutan seem to understand how big a deal this was for a - what an American journalist once called us - Mickey Mouse country to be taking leadership position on a subject of utmost importance to the entire human kind. I was apprehensive that things may not go all right, that there may be poor attendance. Thank God things went exceedingly well.

Thank you for your short and sweet tribute to our Lyonchhen. No doubt Lyonchhen is Bhutan's hero and will always be a hero. He has so much goodness inherent in him for our country and will shoulder any uncouth, irresponsible, selfish, etc. kind of attacks for this love of his country and people. His detractors should, for their own sake, understand and know by now that defaming Lyonchhen is not a winning way for them. Anon.

It is heartening to know this. I feel so relieved now. For some reasons, our people, especially younger ones can’t seem to appreciate GNH. They seem to think that if this principle is for the happiness of every Bhutanese, it should right away eliminate any kind of shortcomings – which is too much to ask because no method/principle for measuring development can do that. I am glad it is seeing the light of the day as it should.

I have always felt that our media, mostly governed by young people are a little bit hostile towards it. But your post here reminds me that what good finds its way somehow.